Intellicast

Welcome back to Intellicast! On today’s episode, Gabby Blados returns for another market research news roundup with Brian. The two dive into the latest industry headlines, including a healthcare panel rebrand, new approaches to detecting AI-generated responses, some eye-opening media consumption statistics, new AI regulations in the EU, and the latest data on the U.S. insights industry. Kicking off the episode, Brian and Gabby discuss Reckner Health’s rebrand to TestSet Health. The move follows Reckner joining the ACKWEST portfolio in 2025 and reflects a broader effort to bring several brands under the TestSet umbrella. Brian and Gabby discuss the benefits and potential challenges of consolidating brands following acquisitions, including maintaining existing brand equity while creating a clearer identity for clients. The conversation then turns to data quality as InnovateMR expands its QualityScore suite with additional identity verification and text analysis capabilities. The announcement sparks a broader discussion about the industry’s continued shift toward protecting quality throughout the entire research lifecycle rather than relying solely on post-survey cleaning. They also dig into the growing challenge of identifying AI-generated responses and the seemingly endless race between increasingly sophisticated fraud and the tools designed to detect it. That leads to a discussion about Anthropic’s recent announcement around watermarking their responses and whether greater transparency could make AI-generated content easier to identify. While watermarking could provide another useful tool in the fight against fraud, Brian and Gabby point out that the reality is more complicated. With people using AI for everything from generating complete responses to simply checking grammar, determining exactly what qualifies as “AI-generated” can quickly become a gray area. Next, Brian and Gabby look at new data from Ampere Analysis showing consumers in the U.S. and U.K. spend nearly 11 hours per day consuming media. Beyond debating whether that number sounds surprisingly high (or low depending on how you look at it), they discuss what it means for market research. Surveys aren’t just competing against other surveys for respondents’ time. They are competing with streaming services, social media, YouTube, video games, and nearly every other form of entertainment. If researchers want respondents to give up some of that time, creating engaging experiences and offering the right incentives becomes even more important. The episode then shifts back to AI as Brian and Gabby discuss the European Union announcement that they will begin enforcing its Artificial Intelligence Act. The act’s new transparency requirements will require users to be informed when they are interacting with AI and when certain content has been generated or altered using AI. While both see the value of greater transparency, they also discuss some of the unanswered questions around what constitutes AI-generated or AI-altered content, especially as AI becomes embedded in more everyday workflows. In the final segment, Brian and Gabby unpack findings from the Insights Association’s 2026 State of the U.S. Insights & Analytics Industry Report. While the overall industry continues to grow, that growth is increasingly shifting toward technology-driven segments as traditional market research faces pressure from demand for faster, automated, and more integrated insights. Despite those changes, one thing remains clear: high-quality human data is still essential. AI and synthetic approaches may continue to expand, but understanding unpredictable human behavior still requires actual humans. You can download your copy of the Insights Association’s 2026 State of the U.S. Insights & Analytics Industry Report here: https://www.insightsassociation.org/Resources/2026-Insights-Analytics-Market-Report Thanks for tuning in! If you missed the live version of our recent webinar, Most Wanted: The New Fraudsters Affecting Market Research, you can still check it out on-demand here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_jEsQAF2sSleFPIGOcTqf4w The 2026 Edition of The Sample Landscape is now available! You can download your copy here: https://content.emi-rs.com/the-sample-landscape Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back to Intellicast! On today’s episode, Brian is joined by Gabby Blados to discuss the latest news from around the insights industry, including people on the move, synthetic data evaluation frameworks, and the release of the latest Global Data Quality Benchmarking Report. Kicking off the episode, Brian and Gabby congratulate several industry leaders on their recent career moves, including Katie Gross joining Panoplai as President and Dave Santangelo becoming Vice President of Client Development at MarketVision. The discussion highlights how experienced leadership continues to shape innovation and client-focused growth throughout the insights industry. The conversation then shifts to AI, beginning with DISQO's launch of AI Search Lift, a solution designed to measure how advertising influences visibility within large language models and AI-powered search environments. Brian and Gabby discuss how marketers are beginning to rethink traditional SEO strategies as consumers increasingly rely on AI to answer questions and guide purchasing decisions. As AI changes how people search for information, new measurement approaches are quickly becoming essential. Shifting to synthetic data, Gabby and Brian examine Burke's newly introduced FAR Framework for evaluating synthetic data quality. Rather than viewing synthetic data as a replacement for traditional research, the conversation reinforces the importance of understanding where it can provide value, and where human-generated research remains essential. Brian and Gabby note that while synthetic data may be useful for exploration and early-stage learning, it still falls short when decisions require high-confidence quantitative insights. The episode also covers the merger of Quest Mindshare and Detect, bringing fraud prevention and sample capabilities together under a single organization. The discussion explores how more companies are building end-to-end research ecosystems that integrate sampling, fraud prevention, and quality management into unified platforms designed to simplify research workflows. In the final segment, Brian and Gabby dive into the newly released third wave of the Global Data Quality Benchmarking Report. The report introduces greater clarity around pre-survey, in-survey, and post-survey quality measures, while providing valuable benchmarks across consumer, B2B, and healthcare research. The discussion reinforces one of the report's key takeaways: improving data quality requires collaboration across every stage of the research process, from sample providers and researchers to survey design and respondent engagement. Thanks for tuning in! You can download your copy of the GDQ’s latest Data Quality Benchmarking Report on their website: https://www.globaldataquality.org/ If you missed the live version of our recent webinar, Most Wanted: The New Fraudsters Affecting Market Research, you can still check it out on-demand here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_jEsQAF2sSleFPIGOcTqf4w The 2026 Edition of The Sample Landscape is now available! You can download your copy here: https://content.emi-rs.com/the-sample-landscape Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back to Intellicast! On today’s episode, Brian and Gabby dive into the latest news from around the insights industry. They also spend some time examining an issue impacting all of research, but it is not as prevalent as AI or data quality: feasibility. Kicking it off, Gabby and Brian talk about Forrester’s first quarter results. While Forrester reported earnings down 5%, what both Brian and Gabby found more intriguing was that Forrester revised its full-year guidance to expect a 10% decline in revenue. They both speculated whether this was a signal about performance for the rest of the industry. Brian and Gabby also spend some time talking about Scintilla, Walmart Data Ventures' new API-powered data feed for advertisers and their clients. Both see the potential next steps with the tool and the data it provides, especially if Walmart decides to open up access directly to CPG and other product manufacturers. They also see other major retailers like Amazon and Target rolling out similar solutions in the near future. Gabby and Brian then take on the news that Medallia is being taken over by its creditors after its owner decided to discontinue investing in servicing its debt. This led to a broader debate between the two about the potential dark side of taking venture capital as a means to scale quickly. They both acknowledged that venture capital firms get their money back one way or another, and if this new story is just the first of potentially many we may see over the next couple of years. A few of the other stories they touch on in this episode include: Norstat’s newly launched expert network Sago’s integration of ID verification and selfie matching into their respondent onboarding process for their panel Wire’s rebrand launch In the final segment of this episode, Brian and Gabby discuss a recent special report from Research Live that dived into the current state of research participants. This led to more of a philosophical discussion about respondent experience, and how respondents' expectations have changed, but how we conduct research hasn’t. Gabby talks about some of the daily hurdles she experiences with feasibility and how it all ties together. Thanks for tuning in! The 2026 Edition of The Sample Landscape is now available! You can download your copy here: https://content.emi-rs.com/the-sample-landscape Did you miss one of our webinars or want to get some of our whitepapers and reports? You can find it all on our Resources page on our website here: https://emi-rs.com/resources/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back to Intellicast! On today’s special episode, Brian and Jason are joined by Eric Corliss and Jennifer Coleman from The Directions Group to discuss their approach to AI, the transition to an integrated intelligence approach, and the launch of their new AI-powered platform, Linara. Kicking off the episode, Jennifer introduces integrated intelligence as a way to move beyond traditional research silos. By connecting data across sources and methods, this approach helps you better understand business challenges and future opportunities. The goal is not just to answer questions, but to identify the broader problems those questions represent. The conversation then turns to the shifting demands of the insights industry. As clients face more complex and fast-moving environments, the need for forward-looking, connected insights has grown. Eric and Jennifer explain how their integrated intelligence strategy is designed to meet these needs by combining human expertise with evolving technologies. Eric expands on how technology supports this strategy, particularly AI's role. He emphasizes that the goal is not to replace human expertise, but to enhance it. By automating lower-value tasks and streamlining workflows, AI enables researchers to focus more on critical thinking and problem-solving, while still maintaining oversight and rigor. Linara represents a key step in this evolution. The platform is designed to extend the life and usefulness of research by transforming it into an interactive resource. Instead of relying on static reports that quickly become outdated, clients can engage with their data in real time to generate insights that are both relevant and actionable. In the final segment, the group discusses the future of AI in insights, including the need for continuous data inputs, human oversight, and ongoing collaboration with clients. As the industry continues to evolve, the focus remains on using technology to amplify, not replace, human intelligence. If you want to learn more about Linara, or become an early adopter, visit: https://www.directionsgroup.com/linara You can connect with Eric by email at [email protected] or on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-corliss-b94a78119/ You can connect with Jennifer on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifercoleman614/ Thanks for tuning in! We’ve launched our new whitepaper, The Fraud Detection Reality Check. Get your copy and find out why relying on a single fraud detection tool is a mistake. Download here: https://content.emi-rs.com/fraud-detection-report Did you miss one of our webinars or want to get some of our whitepapers and reports? You can find it all on our Resources page on our website here: https://emi-rs.com/resources/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back to Intellicast! On this episode, Brian is joined by EMI’s VP of Operations, Kathleen Hock, who is back from Georgia and ready to give all the details from SampleCon 2026. Kicking off the episode, Kathleen talks about the resort where SampleCon was held this year. She also talks about how this year’s location compares with last year's in Pasadena, and some of the benefits of having everything on-site. Next, Kathleen discusses some of the main themes from this year’s conference. They include: Data Quality AI Synthetic Data And The Future of Insights She details how it felt that while everyone seems to be on the same page in understanding the current challenges facing the industry, it is really time to start focusing on the solutions. Kathleen then talks about the Quality R Us booth that the team at Verisoul was running, and how unique it was, including the ways people could earn tokens. In the last segment, Brian and Kathleen talk about travel to and from the conference, and how it went. Thanks for tuning in! We’ve launched our new whitepaper, The Fraud Detection Reality Check. Get your copy and find out why relying on a single fraud detection tool is a mistake. Download here: https://content.emi-rs.com/fraud-detection-report Did you miss one of our webinars or want to get some of our whitepapers and reports? You can find it all on our Resources page on our website here: https://emi-rs.com/resources/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back to Intellicast! On today’s episode, Brian Peterson is joined by a friend of the podcast and the newly named Executive Vice President of Products for Rep Data, Vignesh Krishnan. He joins the podcast to discuss Rep Data’s recent acquisition of ReDem, as well as data quality and fraud. Kicking off the episode, Vignesh gives Brian the inside details on how ReDem will integrate into the Rep Data/Research Defender ecosystem and how it will expand their fraud detection capabilities beyond the pre-survey phase. As the episode progresses, Brian and Vignesh touch on a variety of topics, including: The fraud detection ecosystem The layered approach to fraud detection How fraud and data quality are not the same thing Insights from each’s research-on-research Gen AI’s increased usage by fraudsters and respondents And much more! If you wanted to know more about Rep Data’s acquisition of ReDem, this is the episode for you. You can learn more about the acquisition here. You can connect with Vignesh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vignesh-krishnan-08846aa/ Thanks for tuning in! We’ve just launched our new whitepaper, The Fraud Detection Reality Check. Get your copy and find out why relying on a single fraud detection tool is a mistake. Download here: https://content.emi-rs.com/fraud-detection-report Did you miss one of our webinars or want to get some of our whitepapers and reports? You can find it all on our Resources page on our website here: https://emi-rs.com/resources/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to season nine of Intellicast! On today’s season premiere (and very special episode), Brian is joined by Gabby Blados, Matthew Alexander, and Jason Inderhees to celebrate a major milestone for the show; its 300th episode! The team takes some time in the first half of this episode to take a step back to reflect on the conversations, people, and moments that have shaped Intellicast over the years. Kicking things off, the group reflects on how Intellicast started and how far it’s come. What began as a loose, informal podcast quickly evolved into a regular space for honest industry dialogue — sometimes polished, sometimes chaotic, but always real. From early technical hiccups to live recordings that didn’t quite go as planned, the team laughs through the growing pains that came with finding their rhythm. The conversation naturally turns to the people who’ve made the podcast what it is. Over 80 guests have joined Intellicast over the last 8 season, including researchers, clients, partners, and industry voices who were willing to speak candidly, challenge assumptions, and occasionally disagree. The group reflects on recurring guests and familiar names that listeners have come to recognize, as well as first-time appearances that sparked memorable discussions. Brian, Gabby, Matthew, and Jason also share some of their favorite moments from past episodes, from COVID-era conversations recorded in the middle of uncertainty, to debates that ran long because no one wanted to wrap them up, to the occasional episode that earned an explicit tag. These moments weren’t scripted or planned, but they helped define the personality of the show and made it feel less like a production and more like a conversation. Another theme that surfaces throughout the episode is how Intellicast became a place for the industry to talk honestly about what wasn’t working. Long before data quality became a headline issue, the podcast was already digging into fraud, feasibility challenges, client pressure, and unrealistic expectations. Those conversations didn’t always have neat conclusions, but they reflected what people were actually dealing with day to day. The group also acknowledges how the podcast has evolved alongside the industry. As new voices joined the conversation and new challenges emerged (AI, synthetic data, tighter budgets, shifting client expectation), Intellicast adapted without losing its core identity. The format changed, contributors rotated in and out, but the focus stayed the same: curiosity, skepticism, and real discussion over rehearsed talking points. It wouldn’t be Intellicast without discussing some of the latest headlines. The team discusses a few of the recent headlines from around market research including: New partnership between Qualtrics and ROI Rocket PureSpectrum’s new partnership with TA Associates New roles for Michael Polster and Vignesh Krishnan IRB’s new healthcare professional panel. Thanks to everyone who has been with us on this ride! We’ve just launched our new whitepaper, The Fraud Detection Reality Check. Get you copy and find out why relying on a single fraud detection tool is a mistake. Download here: https://content.emi-rs.com/fraud-detection-report Did you miss one of our webinars or want to get some of our whitepapers and reports? You can find it all on our Resources page on our website here: https://emi-rs.com/resources/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back to Intellicast! On today’s episode, Brian is joined by Lilah Raynor, CEO of Logica Research, to break down the newest edition of their Future of Money report. The report is one of the most consistent and revealing longitudinal studies on how Americans think about money, work, and the economy. This semi-annual study, which has been running since 2017, offers an in-depth look at the financial mindset of U.S. consumers, and this wave highlights some of the clearest shifts in sentiment to date. Kicking off the episode, Brian and Lilah discuss Americans' overall mood of the economy. According to the latest data, half of Americans believe the economy is worse than it was six months ago, and a third expect it to get worse over the next year. Even among those who describe themselves as financially stable, financial stress remains high, with many feeling stretched thin by rising costs, housing pressures, and inconsistent income trends. The conversation then shifts to how Americans are adjusting. Lilah shares that this wave shows a notable uptick in emergency savings behaviors. At the same time, people are making trade-offs in discretionary spending, cutting back on dining, entertainment, and nonessential purchases while prioritizing everyday needs. Brian and Lilah also explore how the Future of Money report offers a window into the changing work mindset. Job movement intent has increased compared to the spring wave, and more people are open to switching jobs if they believe they can improve their stability or flexibility. Some of this is linked to economic pressure, but a growing portion is connected to technology-driven job anxiety, particularly for younger generations. That leads directly into one of the most fascinating sections of the report: AI at work. This wave shows that over half of Americans are now using AI tools in the workplace, with ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot topping the list. Lilah explains that while AI adoption is increasing, it’s also creating uncertainty for those whose roles involve repetitive or administrative tasks. Younger workers, in particular, feel that AI is reshaping the path for entry-level opportunities. The episode also touches on the report’s findings around saving, spending, and consumer behaviors across demographics. Lilah highlights differences across generations, noting that younger consumers are balancing optimism with caution, while older generations are more skeptical about the economic outlook but often feel more financially prepared. Together, these segments paint a complex picture of today’s financial mindset — one shaped equally by economic strain, evolving technology, and long-term uncertainty. In the final segment, Brian and Lilah reflect on why long-running studies like the Future of Money matter. With nearly a decade of continuous data, the report helps brands, financial institutions, and researchers understand not just where consumers are today, but how and why their behaviors are changing over time. You can download your copy of The Future of Money here. You can learn more about Logica Research by visiting their website: https://logicaresearch.com/ You can connect with Lilah via email at [email protected] or via LinkedIn here. Thanks for tuning in! Want to download your copy of The Sample Landscape: 2025 Edition? Get it here: https://content.emi-rs.com/sample-landscape-report-2025 Did you miss one of our webinars or want to get some of our whitepapers and reports? You can find it all on our Resources page on our website here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back to Intellicast! On today’s episode, Brian is joined by Henry LeGard, CEO and founder of the fraud detection company Verisoul, for an in-depth discussion on the evolving state of data quality and fraud detection in market research. We kick off the podcast by having Henry share how Verisoul, a company built initially to stop banking and fintech fraud, has quickly become one of the most talked-about new players in market research. He details how the company came to be, and how they entered the market research industry in 2025 with zero clients and are now protecting nearly 100 million survey clicks per month across the industry. Henry explains how Verisoul’s advanced fraud detection platform has had such a rapid impact on the industry. He shares how the team applied financial-grade fraud-prevention techniques to survey data collection, enabling them to detect and block the most sophisticated forms of digital fraud, including device spoofing, cross-continental proxy traffic, and bot farms operating at scale. From there, Brian and Henry dive into Verisoul’s newly released Market Research Quality Report, which Henry describes as the largest fraud analysis ever published in the industry. For the report, the team analyzed more than 50 million sessions across 3,700 mobile apps in 190 countries, using a new proprietary technology that can identify the exact app where each respondent originated. Henry explains how this innovation was crucial in uncovering real patterns of fraud across the ecosystem, revealing which app categories generate the cleanest and riskiest respondent traffic. Brian and Henry also discuss how Verisoul’s findings challenge many long-held assumptions about data quality. While larger apps and panels tend to have lower fraud rates, older respondent sources didn’t necessarily perform better. The study also found that just five mobile apps accounted for more than 10% of all detected fraud, underscoring how small clusters of bad respondent sources can distort large portions of the industry’s data. Later in the episode, Henry offers a perspective on the evolving sophistication of fraud, explaining that much of today’s market research fraud is human-driven rather than automated. Organized groups in low-income countries are using SIM card farms, aged burner domains, proxy networks, and more to appear as legitimate U.S. or European respondents. Henry and Brian also talk about how Verisoul’s recently launched transparency initiative — a “fraud or not” ranking, complete with a lighthearted tomato-throwing Easter egg for bottom performers, is designed to help the industry recognize who’s getting data quality right. Rather than shaming providers, the goal is to encourage progress, reward transparency, and strengthen collaboration around fraud prevention. To close out the episode, Brian and Henry discuss Verisoul’s creative marketing campaign, “We Smoke Fraud,” which debuted at the ESOMAR Congress in Prague. What started as a marketing stunt ended up earning the company some serious attention from venture capital investors. For those who live and breathe data quality, this episode is for you. Want to get a copy of Verisoul’s Market Research Quality Report? Download here: https://reports.verisoul.ai/mr-qualityreport-25 Want to check out the Fraud or Not Ranking list? Take a look here: https://rankings.verisoul.ai/ If you want to learn more about Verisoul, visit their website at www.verisoul.ai You can connect with Henry on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/henrylegard/ Thanks for tuning in! Want to download your copy of The Sample Landscape: 2025 Edition? Get it here: https://content.emi-rs.com/sample-landscape-report-2025 Did you miss one of our webinars or want to get some of our whitepapers and reports? You can find it all on our Resources page on our website here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back to Intellicast! On today’s episode, Brian is joined by market research’s favorite lobbyist, the Senior Vice President of Advocacy for the Insights Association, Howard Fienberg. He makes his return to Intellicast to discuss the latest developments in privacy legislation and more. Kicking off the episode, Brian and Howard discuss the current state of privacy legislation in the United States. Howard gives an update on his efforts to help the industry navigate new state privacy legislation in 2025, on where we stand on new state privacy legislation that may be coming down the pipe. The conversation changes its focus to a potential federal version of privacy legislation. Howard discusses the various efforts that have taken place in the past and why he believes the current efforts are distinct. He is cautiously optimistic that we could see a serious proposal introduced in 2026. Brian and Howard then discuss the LiveRamp lawsuit and its current and future impact on the market research industry. Howard mentions how this lawsuit has spotlighted how trial lawyers are twisting old surveillance laws, initially written for phone wiretaps, to sue companies over tracking cookies. Even if most cases aren’t held up in court, they’re expensive and distracting. In the final segment, Brian and Howard discuss the recent decision in the EU to uphold the Data Privacy Framework, the current agreement that allows U.S. companies to transfer data from the EU. This may have flown under the radar for many, but Howard talks about how important this court ruling is for every business in market research. Want to stay up to date on Howard’s advocacy work for our industry? Log into you IA account and head to the Advocacy section: https://www.insightsassociation.org/Advocacy/Protecting-the-Profession You can connect with Howard on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/howardfienberg/), or by email at [email protected]. Thanks for tuning in! Want to download your copy of The Sample Landscape: 2025 Edition? Get it here: https://content.emi-rs.com/sample-landscape-report-2025 Did you miss one of our webinars or want to get some of our whitepapers and reports? You can find it all on our Resources page on our website here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Intellicast is back with a brand-new episode covering the latest news from around the market research industry. Join Brian Peterson and Aron Wilson as they break down the latest headlines, including: Decline in Forrester's Q2 revenue Azure Knowledge rebrand to Matrix Kantar and Cint expanding their partnership How iOS 26 will hurt mobile polling and representative sample A class-action privacy lawsuit against LiveRamp Brian and Aron also spend time announcing the conferences they will be attending this fall! Catch Brian, joined by The Link Group's Andrew Hunt, at Insights Association's Corporate Researchers Conference in Chicago this September 9-11th. Check out their session Built for Trust: Why Clients Should Demand a Layered Data Quality Strategy on Wednesday afternoon at 1:45 PM. At ESOMAR Trends Horizon in DC on Nov 5-6, Matthew Alexander and Aron Wilson will be presenting Smarter, Faster, Faker? The Real Results from Testing Synthetic Respondents, a deep dive into how well AI-generated personas can mimic real consumer insights. If you're hoping to stay informed on the big names and changes in market research, then this episode is for you! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What do car dealership surveys, goldfish, and chatbots have in common? They all come up in this episode of Intellicast, where Brian and Mary sit down with Lorin Drake, a Consumer Insights Strategist at Publix, to discuss all things respondent experience. It is a refreshingly honest discussion about what’s broken in the world of survey design—and how to potentially fix it. The episode begins with Lorin delving into his background, explaining how he got into market research and ultimately ended up at Publix. Lorin then shares highlights from his IIeX presentation, “Surveys are Dead, Long Live Surveys.” This leads into a larger conversation about how improving the respondent experience can improve data quality. Lorin lays out a path forward, including short LOIs, gamified surveys, more engaging question types, and additional features – all of which contribute to a more human-centric approach to data collection. A few key takeaways: Survey fatigue is real: Response rates are falling, especially for surveys over 10 minutes. Completion rates have dropped as much as 13 points in the past decade. We’re losing the attention war: The average human attention span has fallen to 8 seconds, shorter than a goldfish. If your survey can’t compete with TikTok, it won’t survive. Gamification works: Lauren highlights a study where a visually enhanced survey took longer to complete but was perceived as shorter and far more enjoyable. Chatbots show promise: Compared to traditional surveys, AI-driven conversational surveys yielded higher completion rates, longer engagement times, and richer open-ended responses. Brands must lead the change: As Lorin puts it, “Would you take your own survey?” If not, don’t expect respondents to do it for you. The push for better experiences must start with the people funding the research. Don’t miss this one if you care about data quality, respondent fatigue, or fixing bloated, boring surveys. You can connect with Lorin on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorindrake/ Thanks for listening! Miss our webinar, The Sample Landscape: The 2025 State of Sample? Check out the on-demand version here. Want to download your copy of The Sample Landscape: 2025 Edition? Get it here: https://content.emi-rs.com/sample-landscape-report-2025 Did you miss one of our webinars or want to get some of our whitepapers and reports? You can find it all on our Resources page on our website here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Were you in Washington, DC, last week for IIeX? If not, our latest episode of Intellect has you covered! Brian Peterson and Matthew Alexander were in the nation’s capital for this year’s event and sat down to recap all the trends and topics. Let’s dive into what the guys discussed: Data Quality Takes Center Stage One of the most talked-about issues this year was data quality, spurred on by the recent industry indictment. Sessions addressing fraud detection, transparent sampling practices, and respondent experience were standing room only. It’s clear that researchers are demanding more transparency and layered approaches to improving data quality, from better survey design, better tools, and even improved respondent experience. AI and Synthetic Data: More Practical Applications and Progress AI continued to dominate the conversation, but the tone has shifted. This year, discussions focused on practical applications of how AI can assist in the research process, with a variety of presenters showing how they had integrated AI into their tools. Synthetic data was also a large topic of conversation, with several presenters showing their latest strides in synthetic data and how they are validating it. Brian and Matthew both agreed that the applications are gaining traction in qualitative research, but based on the presentations, were still cautious about its readiness for quantitative applications. What Worked (and What Didn’t) From a Format Perspective Both Brian and Matthew felt Washington, D.C. was a fantastic host city—clean, easy to navigate, and close to the airport. They were also happy that the Greenbook team abandoned the headphone concept that was used in Austin. The only drawback they found was that some sessions suffered from mismatched room sizes, with popular topics overflowing beyond capacity. They speculated that because of the indictment news that broke just a couple of weeks prior, there was increased interest in some topics. Give it a listen and let us know what you think. And hey, if IIeX comes to Cincinnati next year like Brian and Matthew suggested, we’ll see you there! Did you miss one of our webinars or want to get some of our whitepapers and reports? You can find it all on our Resources page on our website here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices